Mechanism for mounting wrap-around plates on the impression cylinder



March 25, 1969 TOSHIO ISHII MECHANISM FOR MOUNTING WRAP-AROUND PLATES ON THE IMPRESSION CYLINDER Filed D80. 6, 1965 Sheet Allorney;

March 25. 1969 TOSHIO ISHII MECHANISM FOR MOUNTING WRAP-AROUND PLATES ON THE IMPRESSION CYLINDER Sheet Filed Dec. 6, 1965 B d/wulf A Horn March 25. 1969 "rosmo ISHII 3,434,415

MECHANISM FOR MOUNTING WRAP-AROUND PLATES on THE IMPRESSION CYLINDER Filed Dec. 6, 1965 Sheet 4 of 4 Inventor Byd/MM Attorney;

United States Patent US. Cl. 101-4151 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A locking arrangement for locking a wrap-around printing plate to an impression cylinder for a rotary typographic printing press. The cylinder has at least one recesse extending along the surface thereof, and a first shaft is rotatably mounted along the bottom of said recess and rotated by clamping means mounted on the end of said cylinder. A second shaft is mounted on plates on said first shaft and a plurality of movable pawls are rotatably mounted on said second shaft at spaced intervals therealong and positioned adjacent one edge of said recess. A plurality of fixed pawls are positioned along the other edge of said recess. Said movable pawls in a first rotational position of said first shaft project outwardly beyond the surface of said cylinder and in a second rotational position of said first shaft are moved downwardly into said recess and away from said one edge of said recess, so that when a wraparound printing plate has one edge hooked over said fixed pawls the other edge hooked over said movable pawls, actuation of said clamping means for rotating said first shaft and said movable pawls from the first rotational position to the second rotational position applies tension to said plate to fix it against the surface of said cylinder. Two springs are engaged with each movable pawl, a first spring positioned within said first shaft and a second spring lying at the one edge of said recess.

The present invention relates to a mechanism for mounting wrap-around plates on the impression cylinder of the rotary typographic printing press. More particularly, the invention relates to a mechanism for mounting said wrap-around plates on said impression cylinder, comprising locking devices provided at suitable points within the impression cylinder and possessing suitable numbers of locking pawls adapted to engage the corresponding holes provided in said wrap-around plates, a rotary shaft connected to each of said pawls, and clamping devices connected to said rotary shaft.

An outstanding feature of the present invention lies in the construction and arrangement of parts which has been briefly described above and will more fully be described hereinafter.

Another conspicuous feature of the invention is concerned with the provision of the clamping device on one end of said rotary shaft which is contained in said locking device and at the bases of the movable ones of said pawls. A third feature relates to the provision of springs in grooves formed adjacently to the movable pawls of said locking devices provided at suitable points in said impression cylinder.

The conventional art of mounting said wrap-around plate consists of the steps of pre-bending the printing plate, gluing it to a saddle, and mounting the plate and saddle on the impression cylinder.

According to this procedure, no satisfactory reproductions may be secured because of the difficulty of attaining accuracy and printing registration, to say nothing of the 3,434,415 Patented Mar. 25, 1969 complicated and time-consuming mounting steps that must be taken.

This invention eliminates the above-mentioned disadvantages by providing locking holes in both ends of the wrap-around plate and locking pawls in the corresponding positions on the impression cylinder in such a manner that the pawls may be securely engaged by said locking holes, thereby allowing the wrap-around plate to be applied in direct and intimate contact with the surface of the impression cylinder.

In this arrangement, the wrap-around plate may be easily and accurately mounted on the impression cylinder so that not only the printing preparation may be greatly expedited but neat and faithful reproductions may be easily obtained.

Thus, a primary object of the present invention is to improve the accuracy of mounting the wrap-around plate on the impression cylinder. Another object is to provide an easy and quick means of mounting the wrap-around plate on the impression cylinder so as to rationalize the printing operation.

The present invention, with particular reference to its construction and effects, will be further described in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the impression cylinder of a rotary typographic printing press;

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded front view, on exaggerated scale, showing the wrap-around plate as mounted on the impression cylinder illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view, on exaggerated scale, showing the impression cylinder of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the impression cylinder, taken on the line II-II of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, an impression cylinder 1 is provided at both cylinder ends 2 and 2, with arcuate frames 3 and 3, respectively. Suitable numbers of bolts 5 set in holes formed in a flange 4 of each frame 3 are screwed into the respective threads formed in the corresponding end 2 of said impression cylinder 1 in such a manner that each of the frames 3 may be connected and disconnected as desired from the corresponding end 2 of the impression cylinder 1. A clamping device 6 is provided in a free space defined by said frame 3- and said cylinder end 2.

Supported by bearings in each of openings 7, 7 formed in the frame 3, 3, respectively, is a protruding arm of an actuating element 9 for said clamping device 6, the other end of said element 9 being fixed to a rotary shaft 8 which will be described hereinafter, and one end of a connecting rod 12 connected to one end of a pusher 1 1 is rotatably mounted on the forward end of a connecting element 10 extending from and integrally formed with said actuating element 9.

Within said opening 7, a shaft 13 extending from said pusher 11 is supported by means of a bearing 14, and a cover 15 is installed across the brim of said opening 7. A bolt 17 set in a hole provided in said cover 15 is screwed into a threaded hole 18 provided in said frame 3, and a shaft 19 extending from the other end of said pusher 11 is mounted by means of a bearing 20 within a bearing hole 21 provided in the cylinder end 2.

A recess 22 is centrally formed in said pusher 11 and the other end of said connecting rod 12 is loosely fitted in said recess 22 in such a manner that said connecting rod 12 may turn freely about a pin 23.

A central hole 24 is formed in the top of said pusher 11 and there also is formed a stepped hole 25 extending in the direction normal to said hole 24, to which said stepped hole 25 is opened. The above-mentioned stepped hole 25 is provided with a stepped pin 27 through a stepped portion 26 thereof. Only the top end of said pin 27 is protruded into said hole 24.

In corresponding with the stepped hole 25 and within said frame 3, a hole 28 having a stepped portion is formed, and a locking pin 29 is fitted in said hole 28, a spring 31 being interposed in a space defined by a stepped portion 30 of said pin 29 and the stepped portion of said hole 28. The locking pin 29 has a head 32 which butts against the top end of said pin 27 installed in the stepped hole 25.

The above-mentioned clamping device 6 is operated by inserting one end of an operating bar 33 into the said central hole 24 formed in the pusher 11. As one end of the stepped pin 27 extending into the central hole 24 is pushed in this manner, the head 32 of the locking pin 29 butting against the stepped pin 27 is forced out of the stepped hole'25, thereby permitting a free rotation of the pusher 11. To lock the pusher 11, the operating bar 33 is slipped out from the central hole 24 of said pusher 11, whereupon, by the action of the spring 31 interposed in the hole 28 provided in said frame 3, the locking pin 29 and the stepped pin 27 located in the stepped hole 25 are forced backward to lock the pusher 11.

Along that surface 34 of the impression cylinder 1 on which the wrap-around plate is to be mounted, there are provided locking devices 37, 37 having suitable numbers of stationary pawls 35 and movable pawls 36, and a recess 38 is formed in each of said locking devices 37 along the length of the impression cylinder 1. Secured to an internal lateral wall 39 formed in said recess 38 is a fiat-plate pawl support 40 provided with said stationary pawls 35 at suitable spacings. Said stationary pawls 35 extend outward from said pawl support 40 and have a suitable taper. The movable pawls 36 are arranged to face the stationary pawls 35 through a narrow clearance. A shaft 44 passes through a hole 42 formed near the base of an arm 41 of each of said movable pawls 36 and, also, through the holes provided in a series of pairs of spaced plates 43 integral with said rotary shaft 8 which is installed along the bottom of said recess 38. The movable pawls 36 rotate freely in shaft 44, and shaft 44 and pawls 36 move in a circular path as shaft 8 is rotated by the clamping device 6 so that the pawls 36 will protrude from recess 38. The plates 43 are spaced from each other so as to have a narrow clearance therebetween, being located in the lower part of said recess 38.

Springs 46 are provided within recesses 45 formed, at suitable points, in the rotary shaft 8, and one end of a supporting arm 47 extending from the base of said arm 41 contacts the top of said spring 46. Springs 46 thus bias pawls 36 clockwise about shaft 42 in FIG. 2. One end of the rotary shaft 8 extending beyond the ends 2, 2 of said impression cylinder 1 is rotatably mounted on the actuating element 9. The rotary shaft 8 is horizontally installed in said recess 38 and rotatably supported by bearings 48, 48 in the journals at the ends 2, 2 of said impression cylinder 1. Backwardly of said movable pawls 36 and across the cylinder surface 34 are formed grooves 49, in each of which is installed a spring 50 which has a square crosssection. The top surface of said spring 50 is flush with said cylinder surface 34, one end 51 of said movable pawl 36 being in intimate contact with one end of said spring 50. The spring 50 is free to expand or contract in response to the rotation of said movable pawl around shaft 44 and serves to support said wrap-around plate 53 in the proper shape. With the shaft 8 rotated so as to move the pawls 36 out of recess 38, the wrap-around plate 53 having locking holes 52, 52 at both ends is mounted on said cylinder surface 34, and the stationary pawls 35 of the locking device 37 are engaged with said locking holes 52 on one end of the plate 53, while the movable pawls 36 of the other locking device 37 are engaged with the locking holes 52 on the other end of said wrap-around plate 53.

The wrap-around plate 53 is applied, under tension, to the cylinder surface 34 when the clamping device 6 is actuated to move the rotary shaft 8 to draw the movable pawls 36 down into recess 38 and rotate them in the tension applying direction. Thus, the locking devices 37, 37 which respectively are provided with stationary pawls 35 and movable pawls 36 are provided in the impression cylinder 1 and the stationary pawl 35 of one of said locking devices is fitted into the corresponding locking hole 52 in the wrap-around plate 53, with the movable pawl 36 of the other locking device 37 being fitted into the other locking hole 52 provided also in said wrap-around plate.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that as compared with the conventional system, the mounting of the wrap-around plate is greatly expedited. While it is conventional practice to bond the wrap-around plate directly to the impression cylinder, the present invention does not involve the use of any adhesive or cement, so that the highest possible accuracy of mounting the wraparound plate is maintained.

Since said spring 50 having a square cross-section is installed in the groove 49, the top surface of said spring 50 being flush with the cylinder surface 34 of the impression cylinder 1, and one end 51 of the movable pawl 36 is in intimate contact with one end of said spring 50, when the movable pawls 36 are entirely within the recess 38, and the movable pawl may travel over a long distance, thereby facilitating the installation of the wrap-around plate and eliminating the sagging of the plate under the highpressure applied thereto during the printing operation by supplementing the action of springs 46. Thus, the wrap-around plate may be held in satisfactory condition throughout the printing operation.

Since the wrap-around plate 53 is directly mounted on the impression cylinder 1, it may be a thin plate or sheet, whi h, however thin, will not be raised by centrifugal forces when the cylinder is operated. Since the wraparound plate is directly mounted on the impression cylinder without applying any adhesive material, it may be easily handled in installation work. The cost of printing is also reduced for the same reason.

As has been described hereinbefore, the pawl support 40 having suitable number of stationary pawls is installed in the internal lateral wall 39 of the recess 38 of each of the locking devices 37, 37, and pawls 36 are provided in face-to-face relation with said stationary pawls through narrow clearance, with the rotary shaft 8 being connected with the base of each movable pawl 36. In this arrangement, the gap between the two wrap-around plates installed on the impression cylinder 1 may be extremely small so that newspapers and other materials may be printed in greater density or with a greater freedom of layout.

The engaging ends of the movable pawls 36 and of the stationary pawls 35 also are tapered to facilitate the mounting of the wrap-around plate.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, an impression cylinder for a rotary typographic printing press, said cylinder having at least one recess extending along the surface thereof, a first shaft rotatably mounted along the bottom of said recess, clamping means mounted on the end of said cylinder and coupled to said shaft for rotating said shaft between a first rotational position and a second rotational position, a plurality of plates mounted at spaced intervals along said first shaft, "a second shaft mounted in said plates and parallel to said first shaft, a plurality of movable pawls rotatably mounted on said second shaft at spaced intervals therealong and positioned adjacent one edge of said recess, spring means engaged with said movable pawls biasing them for rotation away from the said one edge of said recess, and a plurality of fixed pawls along the other edge of said recess, said movable pawls in the first rotational position of said first shaft projecting outwardly beyond the surface of said cylinder and in the second rotational position of said first shaft being moved downwardly into said recess and away from said one edge of said recess, whereby when a wraparound printing plate has apertures along one edge thereof hooked over said fixed pawls and apertures at the other edge thereof engaged over said movable pawls, actuation of said clamping means for rotating said first shaft and said movable pawls from the first rotational position to the second rotational position applies tension to said plate to fix it against the surface of said cylinder.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which said spring means comprises two springs engaged with each movable pawl, a first spring positioned within said first shaft and a second spring lying at the one edge of said recess, said cylinder having a plurality of spring rethe one edge of said recess in which said second springs lie.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,066,192 12/1936 Ball et a1 101-378 2,137,851 11/1938 Nelson et a1. *101-415.1 2,850,971 9/1958 Brodie 101415.1 2,900,903 8/1959 Chase 101-378 2,953,091 9/1960 Luehrs 101-4151 3,217,644 11/1965 Schmidt 101415.1 3,335,663 8/1967 Harenza 101-4151 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

cciving recesses in the surface thereof opening along 15 J. REED FISHER, Assistant Examiner. 

